


Happy Anniversary, Vespa Dear

by MrAudioDrama



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Alcohol Mentions, Buddy calls her SUGAR, F/F, Heavy Parallels between Buddy/Vespa and Juno/Peter, Hugs, Kisses, Knife Balloons!, Knives Ment., Lesbian Wives, Rita is a Visionary, She deserves more Credit, anniversary fic, i love them, they're in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:29:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23097883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrAudioDrama/pseuds/MrAudioDrama
Summary: Buddy kept it marked on her calendar, two dates nearly side by side. She never had the heart to remove them, to stop celebrating. To do something like that, would mean losing a part of Vespa forever. Every year she would find herself drunk, screaming to the heavens, sobbing into Jet’s chest, “Happy Anniversary, my love”Now she had Vespa back, and she was going to make sure that meant something
Relationships: Buddy Aurinko/Vespa, Buddy Aurinko/Vespa Ilkay, Peter Nureyev/Juno Steel
Comments: 25
Kudos: 87





	Happy Anniversary, Vespa Dear

Buddy kept it marked on her calendar, two dates nearly side by side. She never had the heart to remove them, to stop celebrating. To do something like that, would mean losing a part of Vespa forever. Every year she would find herself drunk, screaming to the heavens, sobbing into Jet’s chest, “Happy Anniversary, my love” 

“She cannot hear you, Buddy” Jet kept one hand steady on her back, the other pushing away her Whiskey, “You must focus on how to keep moving forward,” 

She hadn’t listened to him then, far too content to drown herself in memories of a woman she hadn’t seen in years, but he had been right. She found that Jet was normally right, these days. Maybe if she had kept looking, had searched in places that weren’t immediately obvious, then her reunion with Vespa would’ve happened far sooner. 

Jet tells her not to live in the past, she has Vespa here  _ now _ . What is the point of lamenting on what would have been, when there is so much good they can do together now? Buddy had taught him that when they met, so unless she planned to be a hypocrite, which she was decidedly not, she had no choice but to listen to his words. 

She had never been exceedingly good at ‘party planning’ as Rita called it, but Vespa  _ deserved  _ something nice for their anniversary. Buddy would never forget when their eyes truly met for the first time. The day they became a  _ team _ . The day that Buddy decided she was going to be in love with Vespa for the rest of her life. It was okay that Vespa probably didn’t remember, Buddy hadn’t gone through year after year of drunken storytelling to throw it all away because her darling wife didn’t remember a date she probably hadn’t celebrated in at least a decade. 

Vespa had never enjoyed making a scene, it wasn’t befitting for a criminal to be too loud outside of a job. Ransom disagreed of course, for as good as he was at disappearing, he didn’t do much without making some noise. Unfortunately, that seemed to be the case for every single addition to the crew, “Rita, darling, it’s very sweet of you… but I assure you I do not need any knife balloons”

Juno laughs from across the room, “Sorry Cap, it’s too late now! You gonna blow them up for her Rita?” 

Rita squealed, “You know it, boss!” Buddy sighed, head resting on her hands. She loves her new family of course, but she wants everything to be perfect for Vespa. She  _ needs  _ everything to be perfect for Vespa after so long. 

Rita runs out before Buddy can stop her, too excited to entertain Buddy’s counterarguments. Juno looks as if he’s having a silent argument with Ransom when Buddy meets his eyes, they both know Rita is long gone. He lets out a groan, and gives Buddy a tight smile, “Captain, don’t worry about it” he sounds resigned, “I’ve had twenty years of finding outlets for Rita’s need to plan parties. I’ll help her find  _ something else  _ to do with the knife balloons ‘kay? But don’t say I’ve never done anything for you” 

Buddy sags in relief, “Thank you, Juno, I’m sure Vespa will appreciate it,” she knows that Juno and Vespa don’t exactly get along due to their learned paranoia and snappy commentaries, but she cares about them both deeply. She wants them to like each other. The analogy pains her but it feels like introducing her daughter to her girlfriend. Except, of course, the girlfriend stabbed your daughter before they ever had the chance to get to know each other. 

“I didn’t do it for her,” he grumbles, arms crossed as if he were a petulant child, and his eyes downcast in a stubborn attempt to avoid looking at Ransom’s sharp smile.

“Was that so hard, dearest heart?” the thief stands, giving Juno a peck on the cheek, “I’ll see you tonight?”

Buddy gave them a small smile, young love was adorable. She remembers a time where she and Vespa had been that teasing, enamored by the strength of their love. It’s part of the reason they were separated. Far too confident that their love could get them through anything to take real precautions. What was a meeting spot if one of them had gotten captured as Buddy had. They were fools. 

Yet, for some reason, Vespa claimed she wouldn’t trade any of it for the world. Perhaps they were still fools, going after the cure mother, letting themselves register on Dark Matter’s radar, but Buddy knows she would do anything for Vespa. She would put herself at risk time and time again if it meant spending just one more day with the woman she loved, it’s a fact Buddy is proud of no matter how many times Vespa tells her she shouldn’t be.

“You would do the same for me,” Buddy whispered, as Vespa crawled into bed, “You know you would. So don’t expect any less of me, Vespa dear. I won’t be outdone” she pulled Vespa closer, relaxing when Vespa returned the hug. Vespa never failed to make her feel safe, whether they had been captured and needed to plan a daring escape or Buddy had woken up from a nightmare thinking that Vespa was gone and she was  _ alone _ . Nothing could hurt her when she was with her wife. 

She hopes she makes Vespa feel that safe.

Buddy stands, leaving Juno to be a blushing mess in the kitchen by himself. Stupid kids, making her reminisce when she’s supposed to be getting ready to celebrate her anniversary. She finds Vespa glaring at a particularly suspicious wall in the common area, arms crossed and barely blinking.

“Darling, the wall isn’t going anywhere” she keeps her voice soft, she has no way of knowing if Vespa is staring at the wall or an unseen hallucination. She took extra care with Vespa when she was like this, her dearest wife required a specific level of care that Buddy was more than happy to give. It was hard sometimes, to remember how much Vespa had changed, but Buddy believed relationships were centered around overcoming hardships as a unit. 

Vespa tenses briefly, hands twitching towards her knives, but she relaxes soon after, “Sorry Bud, it’s just a bad day for me to be alone” her shoulders hunch in a little, until Buddy’s hands find their place atop them.

“Then don’t be alone,” she whispers, “You are always more than welcome to come and find me when you can’t be alone” Buddy places a soft kiss on the top of Vespa’s head. Buddy never gets terribly concerned when she doesn’t see Vespa for long stretches of time. There are times where she merely cannot handle to be in the presence of more than Buddy or Jet. Ransom had learned that lesson the hard way, a less dexterous man might have been stabbed by the flying knife aimed at their head.

“I know” Vespa responds, leaning back as Buddy’s right hand strokes through her undercut, “Rita said I couldn’t go into the meeting room, and I’ve never been able to win a fight with her”

Buddy laughed, “So you decided to take it out on this wall instead of Juno?” she twirls a longer strand of Vespa's hair around her hand, “Very kind of you, Vespa dear”

“Nah, tried to find Juno first” Vespa jokes, letting out a small chuckle. It overwhelms Buddy’s heart with love. Buddy would burn the universe to the ground just to hear Vespa’s laugh stretch on into eternity.

“Well, I’m not in the meeting room now. Take a walk with me?” she offers, stepping back and holding her hand out. Vespa takes it without hesitation. They stroll through the hallways, Vespa leaning into Buddy to assure herself that all of this was  _ real _ . Buddy was holding her hand, Buddy was talking to her, Buddy was telling her she looked positively striking in her new leather jacket. Genuine, stolen for her by Buddy herself on their last heist. They were married, they were going to spend the rest of their life together. 

Vespa pauses, a thought burning through her mind like liquid fire, “Hey Bud?” a smile stretches across her face, her eyes find Buddy’s and fill with pure adoration, “Happy Anniversary, Bud”

Buddy’s world freezes, completely still, her vision obscured by what she assumes must be tears, “Y-you remember?” her voice is barely audible. If Vespa hadn’t been watching she would’ve missed it.

“Oh Bud,” she reaches forward into a hug, “How could I ever forget?”

Buddy’s tears spill over, her hand flies up to her mouth, the other secured around Vespa’s back, “Apologies darling, I just- It’s been so  _ long  _ Vespa dear, you lost  _ so much _ ,” she lets out a laugh, “And to think,  _ I  _ was trying to surprise  _ you”  _

Vespa doesn’t realize she’d started crying until she finds her voice thick with tears, “You’ll have to try better than that” Buddy’s hands move quickly, lowering and lifting Vespa in the air, connecting their lips.

“I love you,” whispers Buddy, when she pulls back, Vespa’s dazed eyes staring back at her, “I love you  _ so much,  _ Vespa dear”

Vespa blinks, and smiles, “I love you too, Bud, more than anything” she leans forward again, attempting to prove her words with a soft kiss.

When she pulls away Vespa laughs, “If Juno ever knows we did this, it will be the end of my ‘cool gal’ reputation,” Buddy peppers her face with tiny kisses in response.

She sets Vespa down, “Darling, it’s my job as your wife to absolutely ruin that reputation,” they link hands once more, finishing their walk in the meeting room. Ransom had returned, draping himself over a blushing Juno. Rita babbling away to him about the possible uses for a knife-shaped balloon. Jet was sat next to her, head resting on his right hand, a fond smile on his face.

A cake was present on the table, with a tiny ration of ‘Buddy Food’ next to it. ‘Happy Anniversary!’ it read, and… that was  _ Juno’s  _ handwriting. He had baked them a cake, unprompted. Jet had always told her Juno was a sap, but the grumpy detective had never truly seemed like the sentimental type. She still had much to learn about this little ragtag family of hers.

Vespa looks at the cake in awe, “Is this… a  _ real cake?  _ Like one made out of flour and shit?” Buddy supposed that was a rather impressive thing. It had been a while since she’d interacted with the food scene though, “Bud did you have this made just for me?” 

Juno shoots her a look when she opens her mouth, he really was a sap, “Of course, darling. I told you I was planning to surprise you. Buddy Aurinko  _ never  _ underperforms” Vespa’s eyes are alight as she studies the cake.

“I haven’t seen one-a these in over a decade! The rich fucks I did security for think synthetic tastes better or something. Those  _ idiots”  _ She studies it from every angle possible, before turning to Jet, “C’mon Jet! Cut it! What’s a medic gotta do around here to get a slice of her own damn Anniversary cake!” 

Buddy’s sure she’s the only one that catches Juno’s smile. He’d once told her that his brother had won an award for ‘Galaxy’s Best Smile’. He must have been quite a sight to beat Juno. She’s proud to call him her daughter.

The rest of the night is full of laughter, a temporary ceasefire between Juno and Vespa, and a slow dance in the middle of the living room egged on by Rita and Ransom. A dastardly pair, those two made. Buddy eventually convinces them to let her and Vespa retire to their room, Vespa doesn’t often change. Her pajamas didn’t have as many places to hold a knife in case of emergency.

They fall asleep staring into each other's eyes, soft words and concrete promises. Their arms intertwined. If Vespa had to pick any type of moment that had allowed her to hold on to the last shreds of her sanity after she had gotten her tag… it was this. The times where it was just Buddy and Vespa against the world, in their own little universe as they whispered sweet nothings into oblivion.

Buddy absentmindedly remembers that she still has an anniversary gift for Vespa. She smiles, there are two dates on her calendar after all. Tomorrow she  _ would  _ be able to surprise her darling Vespa, without the help of a particular grumpy lady.

Buddy shoots out of bed when she awakes, “Good morning, love. Long day ahead of us,” she ignores Vespa’s groan as she rushes about, leaving her hair a mess as she chooses her clothes. Vespa loves pinning her hair up, and it’s a very special day.

“What’s gotten into you,” she mutters, clawing herself into a sitting position, “Our anniversary was  _ yesterday _ ,” but Buddy does not still, parking herself in front of their vanity. 

“If you want to do my hair, sugar, you’d better get working. I’m a busy lady you know,” she jests, watching Vespa’s eyes widen in the mirror. The blankets are thrown to the floor in a delighted arc. Vespa’s hands are that of a trained doctor, so Buddy can honestly say her hair has never looked better whenever Vespa finishes.

She flourishes around, “You look like a trillion creds, Bud” Vespa smiles, “Where was this for our anniversary?” Buddy kisses her on the cheek without response. Jet should already have started on Vespa’s special breakfast. They’d gotten special Earth ingredients shipped in special, and she found the knives hidden in the bottom of her desk.

Perfect.

She sets the table, with the knives sitting as a centerpiece. Ransom eyes them with respect, he  _ would  _ know what a good set of knives looked like. Juno is less enthused, but he’s too busy kicking Jet out of the kitchen to kick up much of a fuss about knives on the dining table. 

She makes them all sit down and look presentable before Vespa makes her way out to grab some space toast. Buddy wants to freeze the moment Vespa walks in and keep it in her pocket for the rest of her life, if only she hadn’t thought a camera would do it a disservice. 

Vespa’s eyes don’t know where to land, they flit from Buddy to Juno’s ‘kiss the chef’ apron that he’d forgotten to take off, to the smell of  _ eggs _ , to the knife set she hadn’t seen in nearly two decades sitting polished at the center of the table. As if they’d never been apart from her. 

“What’s all this?” she asks, gait slowing until she halts completely, “Bud, I  _ told you _ . Our anniversary was yesterday.” 

Buddy grins, “Juno darling, how long ago were you stabbed by my darling wife here?” The lady in question glares, hand covering the wound.

“That, Buddy, is a  _ horrible way to _ ask that question,” he starts, “But for the sake of you two lovebirds or whatever. It was exactly one year ago”

Vespa seems to lose the ability to breathe. She hadn’t been aware enough to know what day it was, but Buddy had  _ remembered _ . She had kept track and threw a celebration just for their reunion. She thought she’d cried all her tears the day before, but more almost impossibly rise to the surface. 

“I love you so much,” and before anyone can react, Vespa has catapulted herself into Buddy’s arms, “Are those  _ my  _ knives? Or just a set that looks like mine because it is a very important distinction Bud”

Buddy chuckles, “They’re your's darling, I would settle for nothing less” the two stay like that for a while, in a moment that feels as if it would stretch on for the rest of their existence. But Rita is cooing, and Jet has turned an amused gaze to Juno, who was being interrogated by Ransom.

“Juno, my dear, my  _ love,  _ are you crying right now?” 

“Shut up, Ransom!” 

The rest of the day goes by in a flash, they land on Mars, visit their old haunts. Juno disappears almost immediately, with Ransom and Rita in tow. Vespa jokes that it was the best anniversary gift he gave her, but Buddy noticed the way Vespa had stared at the food and Juno’s apron. She was warming up to him.

Their weekend comes to an end, as they fall asleep in each other's arms, tangled together as if they were two puzzle pieces that didn’t quite fit perfectly together, but made a prettier picture because of it.

“Hey, Bud?” Vespa had woken up confused, another night where she’d forgotten being rescued, forgotten the Carte Blanche and Jet and her silly feud with Juno, “Thank you for still loving me,” It was soft, vulnerable, more unsure than the Vespa Buddy had known would ever have allowed herself to be. Buddy’s heart broke.

“Vespa dear, please,” she kissed her forehead, pulling Vespa onto her shoulder, “I never stopped”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr or Twitter @MrAudioDrama 
> 
> I'd love to talk to you or take story prompts!


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